A 14-year-old Florida teen is the latest Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Dev Shah, a 14-year-old, won the competition when he spelled words like “poliorcetics,” “aegagrus” and “schistorrhachis” en route to a $50,000 cash prize.

The winning word, however, was “psammophile,” a noun that is used to describe animals and plants that prefer to live in sandy soil environments, according to Merriam-Webster.

Shah previously competed in the National Spelling Bee twice – in 2019, when he tied for 51st place and in 2021, when he tied for 76th place.

Shah soaked up the moment by asking for the word to be used in a sentence, something he described a day earlier as a stalling tactic. Then he put his hands over his face as he was declared the winner.

“I would say I was confident on the outside but inside I was nervous, especially for my winning word — well, like, before. Not during,” he said.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Music App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.